McPherson Chemical Labs at The Ohio State University is the location this weekend and next of an Al-Maghrib Institute seminar, Rays of Faith, being taught by Waleed Basyouni. Al-Maghrib is affectionately known as “Jihad U” for its promotion of Wahhabi extremism and Muslim Brotherhood activism. (See the FrontPage articles, “Jihad U”, “Saudi Press Plugs Jihad U”, and “Jihad U’s Student Internship”, for more on Al-Maghrib Institute.)
Basyouni is a Wahhabi-trained cleric, having obtained both Bachelor and Master degrees from Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the academic heart of Wahhabi Islam, and a protege of Sheikh Abdelaziz bin Baz, who author Gilles Kepel identifies as “the principal Wahhabite ideologist” in his book, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam. He is an instructor for the Muslim Brotherhood-front American Open University, which accredits Al-Maghrib Institute courses. According to Basyouni’s DiscovertheNetworks.org profile, he has said that Muslims are the only ones who know God and has launched into violent diatribes against Jews. He also is Director of the annual Texas Dawah Convention, attended by thousands of Muslims every year, which has been criticized for its lengthy list of extremist speakers, several of whom have been banned from entering the US.
Columbus is currently one of fourteen cities in North America with permanent Al-Maghrib Institute affiliate, Qabeelat Hayl, which has taken the motto, “There’s a storm on the horizon”. What kind of storm they have in mind for Columbus is yet unknown.
